Is Whole Milk Healthy?

America is drinking a lot more whole milk these days. Whole milk retail sales rose by 3.3 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, according to Joe Micucci of the National Dairy Council. In fact, whole milk sales have increased steadily within retail since 2022 says Micucci. But before you start worrying about the impact of all this whole milk to our national health, you should know about some of its surprising benefits.

First, what is whole milk? Whole milk is a type of milk that is closest to the version that comes straight from the cow (and no, you shouldn’t actually drink milk raw, straight from the source). Whole milk is about 3.5-percent fat. Before being bottled, it’s pasteurized and vitamin D is added. All cow’s milk contains the same 13 essential nutrients whether it’s whole, two-percent, one-percent or skim.

Of the options in the fridge, you might be wondering whether whole milk is less healthy than its lower-fat counterparts, or even healthy at all. Recently, researchers have found that some populations who eat mainly whole-fat dairy have less heart disease risk, less type 2 diabetes risk and lower body weights. “The newest research is showing that not all fats are created equal. Dairy fats have a unique makeup of short-, medium- and long-chain fatty acids which could explain why their fat content does not predict risk like other saturated fats,” explains Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD, founder of McDaniel Nutrition Therapy. “I’m now recommending that people eat the type of dairy they enjoy, within the context of a healthy diet.”

Here are some of the potential benefits of consuming whole milk dairy foods as part of a diet that also includes fruits, vegetables and other healthful foods.

Has Beneficial Effects on Inflammation

Milk products including whole milk (and low-fat milk) appear to have anti-inflammatory effects. While the potential mechanisms for these effect are not well understood, the nutrients in milk give us some clues. The unique makeup of fatty acids in dairy, including conjugated fatty acids, have anti-inflammatory properties. Selenium and vitamin D are antioxidants in milk; vitamin D is found in substantial amounts in fortified whole milk. Calcium and certain proteins found in milk can help tamp down on chronic inflammation. A systematic review of 27 randomized controlled trials reported that dairy foods (for example, milk, cheese and yogurt) have neutral to beneficial effects on biomarkers of inflammation. In another review of 16 studies, the authors concluded that dairy had a potentially anti-inflammatory effect in healthy people and also in people with metabolic disease.

May Lower Heart Disease Risk

Researchers looked at peoples’ diets from 21 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America in the PURE study; they found that consuming more servings of whole-fat dairy foods (more than two servings versus less than 0.5 servings) was associated with lower risk of heart disease events. Further a review of 13 population review studies (meta-analyses) concluded that whole-fat dairy consumption was not associated with heart disease.

May Lower Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

More research is needed, but a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that eating whole-fat dairy foods is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Again, it appears that dairy fat is unique. In some studies, adults with higher levels of dairy fat (markers) in their blood had a 29-percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

May Lower Blood Pressure

The DASH Diet (consisting of lower-fat dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other high-potassium foods) is a time-tested way to lower blood pressure without medication. Researchers found that even a modified DASH diet, using full-fat dairy instead of low-fat and fat-free, still showed positive outcomes for blood pressure and had the additional benefit of better blood triglyceride levels.

Can Increase Satiety Without Weight Gain

“We are finding that the total dietary fat content may not matter if nutrient-dense foods are the focus,” says McDaniel. In a recent clinical study, researchers found that people who followed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet lost the same amount of weight as those on a low-fat, high-carb diet. In an observational study, women who had higher consumption of whole-fat, but not low-fat dairy foods had less weight gain. As long as calorie levels generally stay about the same – often by lowering carbohydrates to offset increased calories from full-fat dairy – people often find increased fullness from whole milk dairy foods, explains McDaniel.

May Lead to Better Sleep

The combination of simple carbohydrates from milk sugars (lactose), milk proteins and milk fats in whole milk means that blood sugar levels should remain fairly stable throughout the night, preventing any major disruptions to sleep, says Karman Meyer, RD, LDN, author of Eat to Sleep: What to Eat and When to Eat It for a Good Night’s Sleep. “There’s good reason why your grandma’s glass of warm whole milk before bed is still a wise idea for slumber.”